Brake shoe anchoring means



Nov. 7, 1950 PORTER BRAKE SHOE ANCHORING MEANS Filed April 19, 1947 m a m mm, H I I I w Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE drum rotates and the brake is operated, the forward brake shoe for obvious mechanical reasons,

takes on much more of the braking load than" does the rear brake shoe. "It is the prime purpose of the present invention therefore to provide means for equalizing and distributing the creasing the total braking contact surfaces of the unit and the consequent braking action and effect thereof.

Another object of the invention isto substitute for the usual-fixed mounting of the lower ends of the brake shoes, a floating pivotal mount- 4 Claims. (01. 188-78) braking pressure, load. and effect of the two shoes 1 equally between them, and thus incidentally ining, whereby excess pressure as otherwise applied to the forward shoe will be transmitted to the rear shoe, thus increasing the braking contact pear from the specification, attention is directed ,to the accompanying drawing as illustrating a" preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein Figure l is a vertical, longitudinal section through a conventional, internal hydraulic brake unit as applied upon one wheel of the vehicle and as above referred to, showinghowever the substitution of the floating pivotal mounting or anchorage of the brake shoes at their lowerends,

in lieu of the usual fixed pivotal mounting or,

anchorage.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view in perspective of the flat and spirally coiled spring which constitutes the floating or movable support for the pivotal mounting of the lower ends of the shoe plates 10, 8c, and connected brake shoes.

As referred to above, this invention is'an improvement upon conventional hydraulic brake units as applied to automotive vehicles. As here shown the invention is mounted upon an internal hydraulic brake wherein the numeral 5 represents a brake drum such as is' usually carried by and rotates with a wheel of an automotive vehicle, the same being concentrically mounted upon the inner side of the wheel (not shown), and so as to close up against the fixed cover or back plate 6 which is fixedly mounted upon the aligned end of the axle as passed through the central hole 6a. The conventional, arcuate brake shoes are shown at 'l and 8, these shoes being vertically positioned upon the plate 6, and being bolted at H? to shoe-plates 10, 80, which in turn are pivoted at their lower ends to the bight of a U-shaped anchor plate l5 by means of a pivot bolt l4 passed through the overlapped ends of the shoe-plates and through the bight of the anchor plate. To each shoe is secured a friction lining 9. The assembly here shown is one wherein the shoes are pressed outward into contact with the inner annular surfaces of the flange of the drum by hydraulic means, including a pressure or brake cylinder Ill, which is secured to the back plate 6 in any conventional manner. Within this cylinder are pistons (not shown) and which are arranged to move asunder by some hydraulic medium forced in between them through a medial opening I l in the cylinder, by usual means such as a master cylinder and conduit system (not shown). In the usual manner push-rods [2 are extended slidably -out through the end caps Illa of the cylinder l0,

and their outer ends are positioned freely in the vertically enlarged sockets 1a, 8a, formed in the upper ends of the brake shoes 1, 8, whereby these ends of the rods l2 may play freely in a vertical direction. A shoe retracting spring I3 is positioned between the upper ends of the brake shoes 1 and 8, below the cylinder I0, and the ends of this spring are turned and formed as hooks 13a which are passed through apertures lb, 81), formed in the webs of the brake-shoes I, 8. This spring thus functions for normally holding the shoes to their retracted positions against the stops I! when the brake is idle. The brake as described is conventionally operated by means of a brake pedal (not shown) mounted in'the vehicle for the use of the driver. When the brake pedal is depressed the hydraulic fluid is forced under under pressure from the master cylinder through the several pipe and hose lines to the wheel brake cylinders, whereby the push-rods [2 are forced outwardly and the shoes I and 8 are forced into braking contact with the inturned annular flange of the brake drum 5, thus braking the'vehicle.

However, in the operation of such brake, it is found in practice that the forward brake shoes, as for example the shoe 8, as the vehicle moves in the direction-indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, takeson or is subjected to an unequal proportion of the braking load, this being accounted for by the fact that the rotation of the brake drum 5 over the upper ends of the shoes I and 8, pushes downward over the free upper end of the forward shoe 8, thereby tending to press that shoe outward and downward against the flange of the drum with much greater braking action than in the case of the rear shoe 1, where the flange of the drum merely drags freely upward over the shoe.

It is the purpose of the present invention therefore to provide means for equalizing and distributing the braking pressure action and eiTect the mid-length zone of the bolt. Canting of the bolt is prevented through the fact that the extensions from the shoes present ,the same relationship on each side of such mid-length zone, so

of theforward and rear brake shoes equallyqbetween them, by substituting for the conventional .ing or anchorage,- whereby the stated excess downward and outward push of the forward abut of courseloosely through the pivot aperture -k5a. .A'.fi&t and spirally coiled pivot bolt sup- :porting spring 1.8 is mounted within the said "annular space formed outwardly around the pivot bolt M as passed through the enlarged pivot .aperture l5a.forme'd through the bightof the anchor-plate :I;5,:as aforesaid. This spring thus forms .and "provides a ,resilient and yielding .10 and fixed pivotal mounting or anchorageof the lower ends of the shoes, a floatingpivotaLmountmoun'tingcushionf or anchorage for the pivot bolt :l4,,andp,ermits this bo1t-to;shift-back and forth 5 :within the aperture 15a, under the pressure of theZ-brake shoes], .8. Thus it is obvious-that the :above referred to excess downward push ,and zpress'ure as imposed upon the forward brake shoe 58 .'.-by';. the rotatingbrakedrum :5, will be trans- Umitted to -.the"rear j brake shoe 1 Ethrough the :shifting ,-of the pivot ibolt I 4 rearwardly under pressure, thus equalizingathe pressure of both shoes -;upon the flange of "the brake drum', in the lmanner above described, and increasing the rbr aking action of the unit. v

;In:'.the.ory, the assemblage thus described, prersents approximately the following detailed regismen in operation; r .Assumingthedrumfi tobe rotating in clockwise direction in Fig. 1, -the application of the brake places shoe 8 as the leading shoe with shoe-'1 as trailing. Since the assemblage has;

ethe-toejzones of both shoes separateclnbythe cylinder [8,; and the heel zonesofcomposite for- -mation, the heel zonesof both shoes are connected'together'ithrough bolt 14.

As indicated ,iII'FigSJZ and -3,'theheel'z0ne of each of the shoes carries two-of the'exte'nsions,

lone on-each side, the result being that, in effect, the, heel zones of each shoe are practically bifurcated with the width of the space between the walls-differing in the twoshoes. For instance;

thespacewidth between extensions 1c is-shown that any pressure on the bolt which is provided by a shoe will be applied on opposite sides of such mid-length zone and at similar distances ,"from such zone. In other Words, the extensions 'lcboth. lie outside of extensions 80 with the anchor plate l5 located between extensions 80. Hencethepressure ofa, shoe on the pin is applied at .twopoints symmetrically disposed to 5 the mid-length zone with the resistance of spring j 58; active within such'zone between the points of pressure application, thus providing a balanced distribution .active to prevent canting of ,the pivot bolt, although .the mounting of the latter is,of=.affioatable characteristic.

Since bolt i iiis not anchored .to' the'back- ;plate ,6, and extends through opening 15a, of .anchorplatefl's'a (the latter being'secured tothe .back plate 6), the enlarged opening I50, permits bolt M to float, but with the floating action siibject tothe action of the spring 18 shown in Fig. 3,,theexterior of the springfitting'the wall of opening'lfia, but, due .to the spaced convolutions of the spring,.the spring will permityield under pressure with the yield value dependent upon the resistance of the spring.

When, therefore,.the toe ends of theshoes are i moved outward intocontact with thedrun the "toeend ofshoe v8 will develop the usualaction with respect to the leading shoe through the friction development which tendsto move *the shoe downwardly; this tendency -'ext ending through the length of theshoe and-its-extensions, but subj,ect to the conditions in the heel -zp-ne. fAtthersame-timefthe toe end-of shoe I will also be moved into engagement with the rotating drum, but inasmuch as such ime is en theppposite-side of the drum, any tendenc of the drum to advance shoe l duetoithefriction would {be exerted to I move such shoe upwardly. "Such tendency, however,-is small'due te-tne -"fact fthat the -friction development is in thetrailing end -of the shoe, and of less value than is'being developed in; connection. with. the toe of' -jshoe flt Spring 18 is of the convolute type withthe convolutions spaced apart, and has its. inner end zon'e adapted to embrace a major portion ofthe Circumferential length of the mid-length zone -of boltlflgwhile the outer convolution conforms somewhat to theperiphery of the opening :l5a. ,It will 'be understood that when pressure iis ap- {plied to the pivot bolt-through the extensions sec Last-greaterthan-that betweenextensions 80. As 7 .azresult, the anchor plate l5 may be located ap- .-of the bolt. Since each of the extensions of a shoe is of similar dimension and located in the ,end zones of the bolt, the latter is prevented prom canting, -even tho-ugh the anchor plate of comparatively narrow Width and' located in proximately in the middengthzone of-pivot bolt :14 ,with the extensions. arranged toward the ends .170v

of one of the shoes, the tendency willbe to cause the bolt tobe moved in the direction-of pressure application, thus shifting the position of the bolt .axis in such direction'the bolt movement .in-

herently applying pressure on :the spring 18in similar "direction. "Since the spring cannot move ebo'dilyzdue .to the :wall of opening [5a, thepresssure'willftend to place the spring underztension, thus .settingup a resistance factor opposing the pressure and causing the :net pressurewalueac- -tive in the ,bolt displacement to be {equal togthe difference between :the opposing pressures.

Butthe direction .of displacement of the zbolt under; such-pressure iS also subject to the condi- Ftions provided by theiconnection of -the ;pairs of extensions with-the bolt I4, these, connections being limited to a pivotal movement of ethelex tensions von the bolt; Hencelif downward pres sure sis being applied onshoe :8, bolt rdisplabe yment would not be directly downward, .but would be varied therefrom due to the fact that'the shoe 1 is not providing downward pressure, but its heel portion must move with the bolt with such heel portion subject to the conditions at the toe end of shoe 7. As a result, the direction of displacement of the bolt becomes varied from the direction of pressure application, the variations depending upon the direction of pressure application, and the net values of the pressure itself.

The underlying feature in this respect, however, is the fact that regardless 0f the direction of bolt displacement, the latter is made subject to the resistance of the spring is and the effect of the displacement on the trailing shoe, these providing a controlling effect on the direction and extent of the bolt displacement in presence of braking pressure being applied on the leading shoe. Spring [8 retains the bolt in its normal axial position in the absence of braking pressure, and the displacement of the bolt necessarily moves the bolt axis outwardly from such normal position regardless of the direction of pressure application. It is probable that the direction of displacement may vary While developing the reactions which follow the contact of the toe of the leading shoe with the drum,.

From this it is possible to assume that w en pressure is applied to the toe end of leadingshoe 8, the resultant downward trend would bring the resistance of spring [8 into activ ty and tend to move the lower end of'the shoe outward, thus increasing the surface contact. At the same time the dis lacement of bolt is wou d t nd. to move the lower end of shoe outwardly, throu h the direct connection of both shoes with the bolt, thus increase the surface contact of shoe 1. And since spring 58 does not overpower the pressure applied to e ther shoe, the phenomena of toe lag of the leading shoe is not present, since the ability of the bolt to float prevents the development of the conditions of such changed or modified in minor details, within the scope of'the claims.

I claim:

1. In a brake assemblage of the kind described,

which the bolt is passed, and resilient means interposed around the inner margins of the bolthole and the bolt as passed therethrough, said resilient means being operative to permit limited movements of the bolt within the bolt hole, in the operation of the brake mechanism and shoes.

2. An assemblage according to claim 1, characterized in that the resilient means referred to comprises a convolute spring having the convolutions thereof standing in spaced relation, the inner convolution embracing a substantial portion of the length of the pivot bolt circumference, and with the outer convolution contacting the peripheral wall f the bolt hole of the said anchor plate, said spring normally holding the axis of the bolt in alignment with the axis of the said bolt hole through which the bolt is passed, and thus permitting bodil movement of the bolt subject to spring resistance, under the operation of the brake mechanisms.

3. An assemblage according to claim 2, characterized in that the width of the spring convolution is approximately equal to the width of the bolt hole opening through the plate, and with the convolutions located between a pair of planes extending normal to the direction of length of the bolt and plate axes.

4. In a brake mechanism of the kind described and wherein is included a flanged brake drum and an anchor plate fixedly mounted upon the inner side of a wheel, and including a pair of oppositeiy disposed and vertically mounted brake shoes movable into and out of engagement with the flange of the drum for braking purposes, shoe plates rigidly attached to said shoes for mounting purposes, a pivot bolt passed through the shoe plates of the shoes to accommodate the shoe movements, the bolt hole of the anchor plate being enlarged relative to the diameter of the bolt as passed therethrough for providing a circumferential space between the bolt and the margins of the bolt hole, a flat coil spring to the companion brake shoe through theshifting movement or the said pivot bolt under pressure within its said resilient seating within-the said bolt hole of the anchor plate.

' HOMER PORTER: REFERENCES orrei) The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Num er Name Date 1,727,717 Kelley Sept 10, 1929 2,068,959 McConkey Jan. 26, 1937 2,102,851 La Brie Dec. 21, 1937 2,208,293 Hayes et al July 16, 1940 2,251,854 Parnell et a1 Aug. 5, 19-11.. 2,277,577

Boldt Mar. 24, 1942 

